Orange County Schools Board of Education: Brian D. Edwards

Name: Brian Daniel Edwards

Age: 38

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: edwardsfororange.wixsite.com/edwards

Occupation and employer: Team Associate – Walmart

1. What is your past or current involvement with Orange County Schools? What makes you qualified for this job?

I am a graduate of Orange High School, class of 2007. I hold an associates dgree from Durham Technical Community College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. I have spent years working in a system that showed me the importance of catching mental health problems early and not letting them contribute to the revolving door.

My life experiences have shaped who I am and have given me insight into how to best serve the people of Orange County on the board of education. From seeing the impact of not catching mental health problems early, to seeing the increasing challenges that teachers and staff face daily. I know I have the life experiences and insight to bring a fresh new perspective to the board. 

2. What are the three main issues that you believe the board of education needs to address in the upcoming year?

When the BOCC decided not to grant OCS the funding that was requested for a continuity budget, it put OCS in a terrible spot. We need to find a way to use the resources we have available to keep OCS running. This means going line by line through our budget and identifying areas we can cut back to better serve the students. 

We also need to work on repairing the fracture between OCS and the BOCC by being open and transparent about the budget and how we are using taxpayer money going forward. 

3. For incumbents, what has been your greatest accomplishment on the board? For newcomers, what change would you bring to the board?

I would bring a renewed focus on mental health support as the majority of mental health concerns present before the age of 14. I would also bring a teachers bill of rights which would enshrine the rights for teachers to be respected for the trained, educated, licensed professionals they are, the right for teachers to be fairly compensated, and the right for teachers to have a planning period free from any administrative duties. 

4. Nearly every public school district in the state saw a decrease in enrollment this year. With kids leaving for charter and private schools, what can OCS do to convince parents that this is the best option for their students?

Prioritize mental health: Part of the reason teachers are leaving is because of the constant disrespect from students. Much of that disrespect comes from untreated mental health concerns. Having specialists in our schools that can identify the beginning stages of mental health issues and help connect students and parents with appropriate resources will help cut down on verbal and physical threats from students. 

Empower teachers through the Teacher’s Bill of Rights: Students deserve teachers who are not burnt out, overworked, and underpaid. The Teacher’s Bill of Rights addresses many reasons that teachers get burnt out and leave the profession or go to other districts. When teachers leave and class sizes balloon, students fail to get the quality education they deserve and parents start looking for alternative options. 

5. What’s the best or most important thing the OCS board has done in the past year? Additionally, name a decision you believe the board should have handled differently. Please explain your answers.

The most important thing the board has done this past year is doing what they can to increase local salary supplements. In order to compete for the best teachers pay is a major factor and if a teacher can get a massive pay increase in a neighboring district with all other aspects being equal it should not surprise anyone when they leave. 

In contrast, the board, instead of being proactive and going through the budget to identify areas we could cut back without impacting educational quality, chose to rely on the BOCC to make up the difference. When the BOCC came back and said they have concerns about how the board is spending money, it put OCS in a difficult position that led to the issues we are facing today. While CHCCS can rely on the special tax CHCCS district residents pay, OCS does not have that same luxury, and we need to work with the BOCC with openness and transparency so they can trust we are spending taxpayer money responsibly.

6. With state and federal funding declining, the Orange County Board of Commissioners fell short in 2025 of funding the district’s continuation request. OCS is committed to equity in education, but the “achievement gap” between white students and students of color persists. How can the district better fulfill its most basic mission of educating every child?

The achievement gap persists because we are not leveraging the budget correctly in order to provide the necessary funding to close the gap. Without support from the state or federal government, we need to go through the budget and identify areas we can redirect funds to better benefit students of color. 

Another reason for the gap is the number of veteran teachers leaving for neighboring school systems, if we focus on making OCS a desirable place to stay we can keep veteran teachers who are mor experienced on improving outcomes for all students equally. 

7. North Carolina recently received an “F” grade from the Education Law Center, which reported that the state is second to last in average funding per student. As of January 2025, the state legislature hasn’t passed a budget, leaving educators without a cost-of-living adjustment. What can the OCS board do to help student outcomes with a state government that seems uninterested in supporting public schools?

OCS needs to go line by line through the budget and identify all outdated contracts and bloated administrative costs and redirect those funds toward much needed salary adjustments for teachers and support staff. 

By being completely transparent about the budget with parents, staff, and other elected officials, we will create a stronger case for increased funding in future years from the BOCC. 

My Teacher’s Bill of Rights will also help retain teachers, thus improving student retention and outcomes by giving teachers the leeway to be the licensed professionals they worked years to become. 

If the state of NC and the NCGA refuse to abide by the leandro court order and the state constitution by fully funding public education, we need to be willing and able to make up as much of the difference as possible for the sake of our students. Both in monetary and non-monetary ways. 

8. Across the Triangle, thousands of students have stayed home from school during federal immigration enforcement sweeps. What can the board realistically do to make OCS a welcoming and safe environment for all students, regardless of immigration status?

Realistically we are in a difficult position, state and federal law require school systems to comply with immigration officers, however, that doesn’t mean we cannot protect all of our students. 

There should be a plan in all schools that if immigration agents show up at schools, not only are they not allowed in unless they have a valid signed judicial warrant, but any time immigration agents are at a Orange County school, there needs to be immediate notification to all parents/guardians, and families of the situation and updated information on the status of the students. 

In the event of heightened immigration activity in the area, there needs to be a certain level of understanding when students that may be affected are absent from school, and all attempts should be made by the school and teachers to ensure those students do not fall behind in vital instruction. 

Furthermore, the board needs to be open and transparent about any action that they take regarding immigration enforcement in our school system. 

9. Many districts are struggling with teacher recruitment. What are your ideas for recruiting and retaining educators?

With the budget shortfall from the BOCC, we may not be able to outpay neighboring districts, but we can make OCS a better place to work from a standpoint of respect and job satisfaction. My Teacher’s Bill of Rights lays out ways we can achieve that without attempting to outpay CHCCS, DPS, or WCPSS. This would guarantee respect in the classroom, protected planning time, and safety in the classroom. 

10. It takes about two minutes to get a free AI chatbot to write a book report, respond to an essay question, or generate a slide deck for a presentation. Regardless of classroom or district policies, students are using AI to complete assignments. How can the OCS board best support teachers who are trying to make sure that students are still learning the basics and thinking critically?

My Teacher’s Bill of Rights would address problems like this by giving teachers the leeway to deal with classroom disruptions, such as AI-generated assignments, in the way that best fits their classroom. 

Teachers know how their students write and are aware of the mastery level of their students in the classroom. By forcing teachers to accept substandard or AI-generated assignments to meet a desired passing rate, we are revoking teacher autonomy and signaling that their years of education and experience are secondary to passing grades and positive metrics. 

Put simply: We must support our teachers and trust their judgment, training, and experience. 

11. If there is anything else you would like to address, please do so here.  

When we do not provide adequate mental health support for students and just get them to graduation, we fail our students and staff. When we ignore the fact that a student is only passing because of AI tools and just push them to the next grade to make the metrics look good, we are failing our students and the world they will be living in as adults. 

I have had setbacks in life, I have learned from my mistakes, and gotten back up. I know that this is a lesson that we need to teach our kids that what defines you is not what knocks you down, but how you get back to your feet and keep moving forward. I believe that my background and passion for creating success for our students, staff, and community at large make me the best candidate to serve on the Orange County Board of Education, and I look forward to serving the people of Orange County.